Ruben & Clay's First Annual
Christmas Show ,
at the Imperial Theatre features the
two singers, Ruben
Studdard and Clay
Aiken .
Five other members in the cast,
directed by Jonathan
Tessero ,
accompany them in a salute to the
Christmas season. All are wonderful
singers, and sing all the
traditional Christmas songs. It is
the perfect gift for the holidays.
The audience enjoyed every moment,
and gave the cast a standing
ovation. We celebrated the opening
at Copacabana.
Christmas in Hell, book, music
and lyrics by Gary
Apple, directed and
choreographed by Bill
Castellino, is a production of
the York Theatre Company. It tells
the story of an eight-year-old boy,
who visits Lucifer in Hell. His
father makes the same trip to rescue
him. The musical is pleasant, and
the eight member cast sing well. We
congratulated the cast and creative
teams at Lips Restaurant at the
opening night party.
The New York Stage & Film 2018
Winter Gala took place at the
Plaza. A host of celebrities
attended, including Talia
Balsam and husband John
Slattery (photo below), Daryl Roth,
Carolyn McCormick, Michael Mayer,
and many others too numerous to
mention. Three people were honored Patricia
Wettig. Ken
Olin and Johanna
Pfaelzer. It is always a
delightful event.
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The Eleventh Annual Broadway Dreams
Supper took place at The St.
Regis celebrating the 70th
Anniversary of Rodgers and
Hammerstein's South Pacific.
A multitude of celebrities attended,
including Erin Dilly andIzzy
McCalla (photo of the two
below), Metropolitan Opera Star Isabel
Leonard, New York Giant Zak
De Ossie #51, Rob Ashford and
many others too numerous to mention.
It was a wonderful evening.
I attended a press screening of Easy
Living, by Mitchell Leisen,
USA, 1937, at Film Forum. It is one
of the funniest films I have ever
seen. I enjoyed every minute of it.
It has a convoluted plot, screenplay
by Preston Sturges, a typical
screwball comedy of the 30s. A
wealthy banker (Edward Arnold)
tosses his wife's new fur coat over
the balcony of his penthouse and it
lands on top of a young lady (Jean
Arthur). When the two meet
accidentally, he insists on her
keeping the coat and buys her a new
hat. His son (Ray Milland) is
working, collecting plates left on
the tables at an automat, where the
young lady is eating. They are
attracted to each other. The chaos
that takes place in the automat is
hilarious. It will be screened at
Film Forum on December 28-January 3.
La Religieuse (The Nun), by Jacques
Rivette, France, 1966, at Film
Forum was banned in France when it
first appeared. It is about a nun (Anna
Karina) who in the eighteenth
century is forced to enter a
convent, where she is mistreated. It
is a powerful film, and the acting
by the entire cast is excellent. It
captures the period perfectly for a
costume drama. It will be screened
at Film Forum on January 4-January
17.
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